Tree band



W. B. KIRKPATRICK TREE BAND Filed May 12, 1937 Aug. 29, 1939.

Patented Aug. 29, 1939 UNITED STATES IPATENT OFFICE TREE BAND Willis B.Kirkpatrick, Scarsdale, N. Y.

Application May 12, 1937, Serial No. 142,084

4 Claims.

This invention relates to tree bands of the type disclosed in my Patent#2,022,937 of December 3, 1935, and has for its object to provide treeswith an improved permanent barrier against crawling insects, thusprolonging their life and preserving their beauty.

The tree band of this invention, which `I have found particularlyeffective for the above purpose, comprises an elongated body ofinorganic wool in attenuated form and an extensible retaining stripwhich is superimposed upon the wool and is preferably provided with aterminal member or buckle which permits the ends of the retaining stripto be drawn together and fastened in a manner somewhat similar to thefastening of a belt upon the body.

While mineral Wool, glass Wool and similar nonmetallic materials can beused in the construction `of my tree band, I have found specialadvantages in metal, and preferably non-rusting wool, of which steelwool commonly used for scouring and other abrasive purposes, is a commonexample. Preferably, where long service is desired, I use bronze, brassor other non-rusting Wool made from pure metals or alloys, and similar`materials may likewise be employed in the construction of the retainingstrip.

In constructing my improved tree band I preferably make the retainingstrip narrower than 30. the body of inorganic wool so as to permit thewool `to bulge out above and below the retaining strip when fastenedon.` a tree, and, after the band is in place, a viscous insect-holdingmaterial is preferably applied or tamped upon the surface of theretaining strip in any suitable manner as hereinafter described. A bandof this character is very economical to manufacture, does not absorb andhold moisture, holds the viscous material, is readily deformable or setby slight pressure to t inequalities of the tree, can be cut 01T to thedesired length to fit the circumference of each individual tree, and canbe readily applied and fastened by ordinary unskilled labor. A veryimportant advantage of bulging out the wool as referred to above is thatit makes it diflicult for leaves to form a bridge for insects to crawlover. In the preferred form of the invention the above-mentionedretaining strip, which is super'- imposed upon the elongated body ofinorganic wool, is made of readily deformable material such as bronze orzinc and maybe punched out at intervals to form prongs which extend intothe mass of wool in` such a way as to hold the strip in engagement withthe wool. In addition, the retaining strip is preferably corrugated in atransverse direction to permit expansion to compensate for growth of thetree to which the band is applied. Another feature of the inventionresides in forming a multiplicity of holes in the retaining strip sothat, when the band is applied to the tree under slight pressure, thewool will protrude out through the holes, thereby facilitating theretention of the viscous insect-holding.

material on the retaining strip and impeding the passage of insects. Theband may be fastened ,10

upon a tree in any suitable manner, but for this purpose I prefer to usea terminal loop or buckle into which the ends of the retaining strip maybe inserted and doubled over to provide a secure joint as hereinafterdescribed.

These and other features and advantages of the invention will bedescribed in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a tree with my improved band attached thereto;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, showing the prongson the retaining strip for holding same in engagement with the wool;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal view showing the wool and superimposedretaining strip before being applied to the tree; p

Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

. Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken. on line 5-5 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section through the terminal` joint and tree,same being taken on line 6--6 of Fig. 1.

In the drawing, l represents the band proper comprising an elongatedbody of inorganic or non-textile wool such as mineral or glass wool, butpreferably a non-rusting ferrous or non-ferrous metallic wool such asbronze wool, while 2 represents the retaining strip which is narrowerthan the body of inorganic wool and is preferably made of non-rusting,readily deformable material such as zinc.

In the form illustrated, the retaining strip 2 is corrugated in atransverse direction to permit expansion to compensate for the growth ofthe tree to which the band is applied, although other extensible meansmay be employed to compensate for expansion as by providing a suitableexpansible joint for connecting the ends of the retaining striptogether. the length of the strip l, slots 3 are punched out to formprongs l which pierce the wool and are bent over into the body of thewool when the band is fabricated thus fastening the strip securely tothe Wool.

At intervals throughout 'i I also prefer to provide the retaining strip-2 with a multiplicity of holes of substantial size as best shown inFigs. 1, 3 and 4 of the drawing. When the band is fastened upon a treeunder slight pressure, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the strands of woolprotrude out through the holes 5 in small tufts 6, thus presenting abarrier which impedes the progress of crawling insects over the surfacesof the retaining strip. In addition, these protruding tufts of woolfacilitate the retention of the viscous insect-holding material which isapplied to the surface of the retaining strip as hereinafter described.

The fastening means illustrated in Figs. l and 3 comprises a buckle orterminal loop l having an elongated transverse slot and inwardlyprojecting lips 8 which .are inserted in holes 5 of the retaining strip2, after which the ends of the retaining strip are bent over and therebypermanently secured to the buckle, eliminating the possibility ofslippage, as illustrated at 9 in Fig. 6 of the drawing.

In practice, the composite tree band comprising the elongated body ofinorganic wool I and the superimposed retaining strip 2 is cut oif to alength approximating the circumference of the tree, which may be donewith o-rdinary household shears or scissors, and the band is circledabout the trunk of the tree. Even in the case of a large tree it isunnecessary to use tacks since slight pressure on the band causes thewool to cling to the bark, which makes it easy for one person to attachthe band without assistance. When the band has been circled about thetree the meeting ends of the body of wool l are lightly pressed t0-gether, causing them to unite in a continuous mass as shown in Fig. l,after which the ends of the retaining strip 2 are slipped through thebuckle l and bent over at 9 with the application of as much tension asis necessary to take up the slack in the band.

vWhen the above-described band is applied to the tree with slightpressure the retaining strip, being narrower than the body of inorganicwool, causes the wool to bulge out above and below the retaining stripas illustrated at I0 in Figs. 1, 2 .and 6, thus lessening the likelihoodof leaves forming a bridge for insects to crawl over. After the band isin place the viscous insect-holding material is applied, and I find itsufficient to apply such material only to the retaining strip 2 which isdisposed centrally of the band as shown in Fig. l. The viscous materialmay be applied to the retaining strip in any suitable or convenientmanner.

It will be evident that my improved tree band possesses many advantagesover the various common forms of insect repelling means which have beenemployed in the past. A common form of tree band employed in the pastcomprises a fabric band, ordinarily of burlap, paper or pulp, which istied or tacked to the tree to be protected, and having a viscousinsect-holding composition smeared on the outside. This type of band hasseveral defects. One is that the band, simply wrapped around the tree,with or without tension, fails to ll the interstices in a tree having arough bark or an irregular cross section; it is injurious to the tree;and it is disapproved by tree surgeons to smooth off the bark beforeapplying such a band. Y

Also, textile fabrics such as burlap, or soft wool, pulp, cotton andtwisted or braided textile bands have the further objection of beingabsorbent to and holding water even after being impregnated with theviscous, sticky material. Hence, such bands absorb and hold moisture,lead to bark decay, and are ineffective to stop the progress of theinsects unless the bark of the tree is particularly smooth and the bandtightly applied. When tightly applied, the contour of the tree is nottted. Also, such bands do not allow for the normal growth of the tree,are unsightly, and only partially effective, because the soft materialnext to the bark makes a harbor for injurious insects.

I have also found that the viscous materials furnished by manufacturersfor trapping worms and other crawling insects quickly lose theireffectiveness when applied to moisture-absorbent textile fabrics orpaper bands, and in any event have to be renewed yearly, and in manycases several times a year during the crawling insect season, in orderto have any value at all.

My improved tree band has many distinct advantages over the foregoingprior art constructions. For one thing, it is formable to fit in thebark interstices and the contour of the tree, and extensible to allowfor the growth of the tree, without injury to tree or band. The lengthof my tree band is easily adaptable to the circumference of the tree tobe protected, and is easily applied and fastened by unskilled labor. Thematerial of my tree band is not absorbent to water, and it is easilytreated with the Viscous material. The material is also repellent toinsects, so that they do not build nests or weave cocoons within itsstructure. In addition, the appearance of my tree band on the tree is asinconspicuous as possible, -especially since the particular materialwhich I prefer soon takes on a greenish cast and therefore blends intothe foliage of a tree and is not noticeable a few feet away. Anotherimportant advantage of my improved construction is that it is veryeconomical as it can be fabricated entirely by machine without anyspecial or intricate forming operations.

The invention is capable of various modications and adaptations, and Ido not restrict myself to the example shown except as required by theappended claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. A tree band comprising an elongated body of inorganic wool inattenuated form for encircling a tree, and an extensible retaining stripsuperimposed upon said wool for fastening same on a tree, said retainingstrip having a multiplicity of holes of substantial size permitting saidwool to protrude therethrough so as to facilitate the retention of aviscous insect holding material and impede the passage of insects.

2. A tree band comprising an elongated body of inorganic wool inattenuated form for encircling a tree, and a retaining stripsuperimposed upon said wool for fastening same on a tree and having amultiplicity of holes of substantial size permitting said wool toprotrude therethrough so as to facilitate the retention of viscousinsect holding material and impede the passage of insects, saidretaining strip being of extensible material and being corrugated in atransverse direction to permit expansion to compensate for growth of theunderlying part of the tree.

3. A tree band comprising an elongated body of inorganic wool inattenuated form for encircling a tree, an extensible retaining strip ofreadily deformable material superimposed upon said wool for fasteningsame on a tree, said retaining strip having a multiplicity of holes ofsubstantial size permitting said Wool to protrude therethrough so as tofacilitate the retention of a viscous insect holding material and impedethe passage of insects, and a terminal buckle adapted to receive theends of said retaining strip for connecting said ends together.

4. A tree band comprising an elongated body of inorganic Wool inattenuated form for encircling a tree, an extensible retaining'strip ofreadily deformable material superimposed upon said Wool for fasteningsame on a tree, said retaining strip having a multiplicity of holespermitting said Wool to protrude so as to facilitate the retention of aviscous insect holding material and impede the passage of insects, and aterminal buckle having a transverse slot adapted to receive the ends ofsaid retaining strip, and means for engaging the holes in said stripwhen said ends are bent

